Water hearts Fire  A Percy Jackson story
by Psyche Alcquera
Summary: Percy Jackson was given a quest by the Olympians to search and destroy Hades' only daughter and child, who was prophesied as a threat to gods and demigods. His mission is to kill her, yet it seems that Percy is doing the exact opposite: falling in love.
1. 1 A Surprise for Mount Olympus

**[1]**

**A Surprise for Mount Olympus**

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Hermes burst into the Throne Room of the _White House_. All of the Olympians are already seated on their respective thrones, which are arranged in a circular manner. Everyone seemed so serious, nervous, or unsure. No one was putting on a happy face, or daring to. Even Apollo, who used to be cheerful and laid-back, has creases between his brows. Ares stared intensely at his surroundings as if somebody's going to punch him at any second. Zeus was seated in the middle of the highest three thrones which belonged to the Big Three, sitting so stiffly you will wonder for a second whether he is a life-sized wax statue or something. To his right is where Poseidon sat, who was currently having a dead-serious conversation with the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Both of them were speaking so fast that they sound more like arguing than talking. Meanwhile, the other Big Three seat was empty, which was supposed to be for Hades, the lord of the Underworld.

So all of them are present for the Council Meeting…except for Hades.

Hermes stormed into the heart of the room, so all of the Olympians could see him. He cleared his throat and everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Hermes. Zeus shifted an inch on his seat.

"Well? What have you found out?", Zeus calmly asked but they could feel something was wrong. Zeus's powers were really tensed that a cool, windy breeze blew into the room. Lightning streaked across sky and the skies thundered softly. If you were an ordinary mortal, you would have already hidden under your bed and cried hysterically like nuts, but Zeus's powers don't seem to bother the other Olympians. To them, it was like _normal_ for the skies to growl when Zeus is not in good mood.

Hermes was panting as though he had just been chased by a stampede of minotaurs or laistrigonians. The messenger god never _pants_, nor any other god on Mount Olympus. This means only one thing: there is a very big, deadly-threatening problem. A huge catastrophe is going to happen. The future of the Olympians is in trouble.

Hermes, after calming down, straightened up, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Confirmed . Another half- blood child of the Big Three was born", he announced.


	2. 2 Corpse Breath is Having a Baby

**[2] **

**Corpse Breath is going to have a Baby**

At first, there was total silence. The deafening quietness conquered the whole room, and then suddenly – BOOM!

The entire Throne Room was in pandemonium. Athena was shouting something at Poseidon. Apollo pointed towards Zeus accusingly while Artemis tried to stop him. Ares looked horrified as though world peace has finally been restored and war will never happen in the history of the world ever again. Aphrodite was as pale as a ghost, with her eyes as wide as saucers. Some of the Olympians are arguing, some are shouting, and some are trying to strangle each other. Apparently, all of the Olympians never expected the surprise for them.

"The pact was never meant to be broken! How could you violate the rules, Poseidon?" Athena snarled at the Sea god.

"I only broke it once, and I never will again! Don't you judge for something that you do not have any evidence, Athena!" Poseidon yelled back, spitting sea water at Athena's face.

"If it isn't Poseidon, then who is the child's father?" Apollo interrupted. He was already standing in the middle of the Throne Room along with his twin sister, Artemis. His sister was holding his arm, as if trying to stop him to say something bad.

"Is it you, father?" Apollo asked Zeus in a shaky voice. He sounded like he was afraid to hear the truth, that his father broke the law twice. Having two demigod half-siblings is cool, but the prophecy he is seeing is now changing…and it wasn't going to be good. Artemis gripped his arm tighter, her eyes as pale as the moonlight.

Everybody quieted down and waited for Zeus to answer. Zeus just sat on his throne, frozen like a statue, not even moving an inch. Then suddenly, his lower lip quivered, and thunder and lightning roared across the sky.

"No, I am not the child's father", he spoke in a cold, hard voice. The breeze blew into the room like an angry wind. Everyone was silent, but the tension is so powerful that you can feel all of the Olympians powers radiating in every corner of the room.

"If the child isn't yours, and neither was Poseidon's…", Athena started to say, her eyes as sharp as an owl's. Her gaze was directed to the floor, as if she was trying to solve some kind of riddle. Then suddenly, she gasped.

"…then the father of the child is – "

"Yep, you're right, Athena. I am the child's father", a deep male voice echoed across the room. His voice was so cold, frightening, and lifeless that it could kill a mortal just by hearing it. All of the Olympians' eyes averted towards the wide oak doors at the entrance of the Throne Room. And there was the last of the Big Three whom they have not expected to break the pact they made after World War II: the lord of the Underworld…king of the Undead.

Hades. His dark aura surrounded the whole room that the magical plants within a fifty-meter radius died. The lights on Mount Olympus dimmed and the fire at the center of the room glowed brighter, as if to acknowledge its master. The air grew colder and the voices of the spirit of the dead began echoing inside the Throne Room.

Hades was wearing a shiny, black leather jacket on top of a black shirt and black pants. His belt has a diamond-encrusted skull at the center, and was embellished with tiny glittery skulls. His black shoes were shined to the max that you can use it as a mirror to fix your hair. The lord of the Underworld looked like a rockstar ready to perform on his next concert. He was leaning against the pillar with glint of cheerfulness on his black eyes and a mischievous smirk plastered across his face.

Everyone remained silent with their jaws hanging open.

"What? No one's congratulating me?" he asked innocently. He looked like a new father who was excitedly-celebrating his first child's birth.

"Oh, good. Now Corpse Breath is having a baby! Congratulations!" Ares proclaimed sarcastically and held up his hands as though he was surrendering.

"Oh, yes. Actually, I'm having a big celebration for my first-born child, she's a girl actually", he said smiling. He started walking slowly towards the center of the Throne Room. All of the Olympians' faces were in shock. They looked worse than being electrocuted by Zeus's thunder bolts. But Hades seemed only to enjoy their reaction.

"Oh, everyone's invited by the way. Seven o'clock, my place. Persephone is actually the head party organizer. She was so excited about the baby, and she wanted to keep her in the Underworld", he continued while grinning from ear to ear. Demeter grunted on her seat. She muttered something like, "always wants a baby" or something.

"You know you can't keep the baby, Hades. Every Olympian is forbidden to have direct contact with their Half-Blood children once they are born", Athena spoke in a loud voice. Her eyes looked sharper, and her lips are pursed into a thin line.

"No need to remind me about the rules, dear Athena…I've already memorized them three thousand years ago", he grinned wider. "But once my daughter turns sixteen, I believe that as my only child, she has the right to be given of a gift that none of you Olympians ever dared to", he said. Poseidon gripped the armrests, as if trying to stop himself from standing up.

"What do you mean, Hades?" Poseidon sounded more like growling than asking. Hades, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the moment.

"My daughter is going to be the Heiress of the Underworld…Princess of Death", Hades spoke proudly. Aphrodite fainted on her seat but Ares caught her. Demeter breathed heavily as though she was having a heart attack. Suddenly, Zeus clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white. Zeus has been trying to be calm and patient ever since they gathered for an urgent Council Meeting but now, he had finally snapped. He gritted his teeth angrily as thunder and lightning boomed dangerously. His eyes were as dark as thunder clouds and he did an unexpected thing which shocked the Olympians more.

Zeus threw a thunderbolt at Hades.

You don't want to picture what happened next.


	3. 3 Welcome to the Mortal World

**[3]**

**Welcome to the Mortal World**

I looked at the girl in the mirror who was staring back at me like a gaping fish. Oh, my gosh. This was actually the first time I took a good look at myself ever since two weeks ago. I lost six freaking pounds! My skin was paler, my eyes looked bruised as though I just came from a boxing competition, my arms and knees were skinner, and my hair was wilder than ever. Honestly, I looked like I just got hit by a hurricane. I could feel my eyes growing as wide as baseballs as I drooled at myself. This is so not funny. Maybe my mirror was lying to me, or maybe I just need some contact lenses or something.

Argh, I hate myself right now. Okay, so you might think of me as one of those bimbo girls who are consciously-desperate to death to be as thin as a daddy-long-legs insect, but you're quite mistaken. As a matter of fact, I was definitely horrified about my weight loss. And I'm not obsessed with my looks, either. It's just that I've been really stressed and exhausted. I have to keep up every single stinking day with my cheerleading team, schoolwork, drama club, student council, and not to mention the fact that someone, or maybe something has been stalking me.

It started two weeks ago. I always feel like there were eyes burning upon my back, watching every single inch that I move. I was always nervous, and I keep on fidgeting every time I sit down. My grades are flunking, I couldn't concentrate on everything. I could feel that someone is following me wherever I go, but every time I look over my shoulder, no one was there. I don't want to turn off the lights at night, and I feel like some kind of creature is hiding inside my closet or worse…under my bed. Okay, you might be laughing right now because I'm behaving like a four-year-old, but honestly, this issue is not a joke. Insomnia started attacking my sleeping habits, and nightmares haunt me whenever I fall asleep.

My nightmares are always about _water_. Maybe this is weird, but I don't really like the water. Of course I drink six to eight glasses of water every day and I take bubble baths in the morning and showers every night (obsessive-compulsive, huh?), but swimming pools and beaches aren't just my thing. Anyway, I always dream about the water. The scene was like I'm drowning, and it felt so real that I end up choking every night. I don't really know what it means; maybe it's a future vision of my death, being drowned in a pool or perhaps in a bathtub. Just in case it happens, I'll rather choose the pool. Drowning in a bathtub sounds pathetic to me…unless if somebody kills me in it. _Ugh, why am I even thinking about my death right now? Gosh, I was getting retarded_. I decided to shrug off my stupid thoughts, grabbed my bag and car keys, and drove to school. _Today is going to be great. Nothing is going to happen_, I chanted to myself as I drove through the road.

"Hey, Phoenix!" I heard a familiar voice called me as I walked through the halls of Johnston Academy. I turned around and just in time, a blinding flash of light pierced through my eyes.

"Oh, come on, Kyle. No pictures", I glared at my best friend. He loves photography, and his camera is his girlfriend. He takes pictures of anything and anywhere: buildings, people, animals, plants, nature… the works. But mostly, he takes pictures of me.

"Nice stare. You look like an irritated _Victoria's Secret_ model", he joked as he browsed my image on his camera. I rolled my eyes and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. Kyle was my best friend ever since kindergarten. We have stuck together through thick and thin that some people even thought that we were going out. But they are wrong. He was like my twin brother. No, an annoying twin brother. Our relationship is more like Artemis-Apollo than Kim Possible-Ron Stoppable. We may be of the same age, but I'm a lot more mature when it comes to common sense (haha!). Kyle is very laid-back, cheerful, energetic, and outgoing. He never takes anything seriously, and when I say anything, I really meant ANYTHING! Throw him into the depths of Tartarus, and I bet Kronos would only end up laughing at his jokes. _Wait…why am I even thinking about Tartarus or Kronos? I never listen on Ancient Greek class_.

Whatever. Let's go back to my best friend, Kyle.

But sometimes, I even feel like he's really old or something. Kyle's family is very traditional. They have this important, sort-of ancient, family-only gathering, every June and December, and Kyle calls it the _Winter _and_ Summer Solstice Family Reunion _(I secretly call it, "Lame" for short). On those days, Kyle will be gone for two weeks without keeping in touch. And when he comes back, he always looked stressed as though he just survived from a shipwreck.

"Does your cousins beat you like a punching bag every winter and summer?", I would always ask him, but he says that it's due to the non-stop partying in his grandmother's house. Grandmother's house? Seriously?

Sometimes, I feel like Kyle is hiding something from me. He is my best friend alright, but there were times that he would just act so nervous and paranoid. It was like something or someone is going to attack him right then and there. Maybe he is having mood swings (perhaps PMS or something?), but I can't deny the fact that it was really weird.

Kyle and I walked across the corridor for our first class, which is Greek Literature. Great. Ms. Heller (or more like Hell), will torture me in her class again with questions about the Greek gods and goddesses who lived ages and ages ago that no one cares to talk about. I don't really hate Greek literature; I only took it in the first place because Kyle persuaded me, but honestly, I wouldn't give a damn about those vain gods and goddesses who can't do anything except hook up with humans and overpopulate the Ancient Greek civilization.

The classroom was already half-occupied when we got there. Everyone has their own stupid business to take care of while the teacher is not yet around. Some are throwing pieces of paper at each other, some are just chatting noisily, while others where doodling on their seats.

Annabeth Chase, the know-it-all, was already sitting with poise at the first seat. She was the smartass in our school, but she had a high social status in Johnston Academy contrasting to the other geeky-geniuses in the United States of America. She was busily talking to that crippled Grover guy about her new Architecture-stuff project, flipping her golden blonde hair in the process_._ As Kyle and I passed them, Annabeth suddenly stopped talking and averted her piercing, gray eyes towards mine. Grover cleared his throat as if to remind Annabeth that it was rude to stare and fidgeted on his seat nervously.

Kyle looked tensed and growled at Grover as we tried to ignore them and went to our usual seats which are the farthest seats of the classroom. Honestly, Kyle's growl sounded so…_inhuman_, or maybe I just imagined it. I could still feel Annabeth's eyes burning upon my back as I dropped my bag and took out my _Iphone_ from my pocket. I slightly turned towards their direction, and Annabeth is still staring at me. Seriously, what is her problem? I was about to give her a venomous glare when the person I hated the most on the face of the Earth walked into the classroom:

Percy Jackson.


	4. 4 Seaweed asks me out on a Date

**[4]**

**Seaweed asks me out on a Date**

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Everyone in the room almost stopped talking as the big-headed, walking toe-rag entered the classroom. Most of the girls drooled over him as he smirked like an idiot. Percy Jackson acts as though he owns this school ever since he transferred along with Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. And surprisingly, the entire student body worshipped him as though he was a king, even our school principal! Well, it's either he had put some spell on them, or Johnston Academy is just plainly stupid. Kyle and I are now becoming outcasts because we are the only ones who refused to _follow_ them like a bunch of servants.

I glared at Percy as he walked towards Annabeth. Kyle growled and clenched his fist. He had some sort of grudge for Percy even though he barely knew him. It's more like they had of a big battle fight ages ago and Kyle wanted a rematch. As Percy passed, some of the girls began hyperventilating and muttering, "He's so hot!" while others were having their eyes bulging out of their sockets just to get a closer look. I rolled my eyes and sighed, annoyed by every female's reaction towards Percy Jackson. All of the boys also seemed to drool dreamily at him. Every male's jaws were hanging open, and obviously, they are all jealous of toe-rag's high King-status.

Percy sat beside Annabeth and gave Grover a light punch on the arm. _Show-off!,_ my mind screamed at him. Suddenly, he paused and turned his head towards us as though he heard me. I gave a silent gasp and my eyes widened as he stared at me directly. Even if I'm several seats away from him, I could clearly see his sea-green, ocean-like eyes which penetrated into mine. His eyes reminded me of the waves that I thought I was drowning. He looked like he was reading me, or more like reading my mind. I glared at him and gritted my teeth as I fought the urge to throw my five-inch thick _Greece: Mythology and Literature _book at his face. Seriously, he was ruder than Annabeth when it comes into staring.

"Got a problem, Jackson?" Kyle suddenly said, his voice sounded really dangerous and threatening. I froze in horror and looked at Kyle in shock. Oh my gosh. This isn't going to be so good. Kyle is committing social suicide. Percy plainly smirked mischievously and shifted on his seat.

"Relax, just looking at the hottest Cheer Captain, Donovan. You can't blame her for being such…attractive. Does my staring bother you, Phoenix?", he spoke coolly and gave me a wink. _How dare him! That filthy, big-headed Seaweed! Wait a minute, did I just call him Seaweed? Whatever. It's what I want to insult him at the moment._ My fists clenched tightly that I could feel my nails cutting through my palms as I fought the urge to go straight and kick him in the gut.

"No, not at all, Jackson", I forced a slutty giggle and faked a grin at him. "It only makes me want to rip off those filthy, perverted brains of yours so I can feed them to our pig, and you will never dare to take a single glimpse at me EVER again", I said while smiling evilly at him.

Annabeth and Grover stifled their laughter, though it was pretty obvious that they are finding it hard to contain. Percy's famous smirk faded and was replaced by a dangerous glare on his face. The other girls frowned at me displeasingly, while the boys stared at me in disbelief as though I had just challenged a dragon to an arm wrestling. Apparently, all pairs of eyes inside the classroom are turned to me now. Suddenly, Percy stood up from his seat started to walk towards my direction. Kyle growled threateningly and stood up instinctively as if to protect me. I immediately grabbed his arm and mouthed, "It's okay" while forcing him to sit down. He sat back to his seat slowly, his eyes never leaving Percy's. Kyle looked like he was going to pounce at Seaweed at any second and attack him.

Percy merely smirked mischievously. Honestly, the look he was pulling off was pretty hot, "_datable_" and attractive in fact, but being attracted to guys isn't my thing right now, especially if they act like big-headed perverts and walk around the school like they own the entire campus or something. And Percy is one, big, spitting example of them. He stopped in front of my desk and leaned towards me so that our noses almost touched each other. Goosebumps started to rise down my neck and my nails dug deeper into my fists as his presence became closer and closer. His breath was spraying softly on my face that it felt almost like sea breeze. _What the hell, Phoenix? Stop thinking about how hot he is! He is a big, fat, asshole! A freaking jerk!_, my mind screamed. Percy smiled devilishly as if he could read my thoughts.

"What do you want, Jackson?" I asked angrily through gritted teeth. I gave him a venomous glare as my eyes met with his green ones.

"I was wondering…if you want to go to the prom with me tomorrow…well, as my date actually", he said. Everyone gasped. I stared at him and wondered for a second whether he was possessed or something. I looked around, but everyone was frozen like statues. I could feel that all of the girls in the campus want to kill me now. The guys are in shock as well. I turned to Kyle for help only to see his mouth was hanging open and his eyes almost bulging out of its sockets.

"Are you nuts? Why should I want a walking-Seaweed-whose-head-is-so-full-of-air-that-he-could-burst-at-any-second as my prom date? You're a lot dumber than I thought", I replied coolly. Kyle suddenly roared with laughter, but the others didn't. Grover was looking more nervous while Annabeth was shaking her head in disapproval. Percy narrowed his eyes, and for a second, I thought I saw a spark in his ocean-like irises that gives me a hint that I'm already crossing the line.

"I don't ask girls on prom, Phoenix Mitchell", he leaned closer and spoke in a low voice. I could feel his cool breath on my face as his eyes penetrated into mine dangerously. "The girls are the ones who run and beg for me desperately. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you, Phoenix. Imagine the impact that we'll have on Johnston Academy when people see us together. The quarterback and the cheer captain…isn't that romantic?" Percy faked a dreamy look and rolled his eyes sarcastically. I continued glaring at him as I fought the urge to kick his ass right then and there. Percy Jackson had dated every single student of the female species from Johnston Academy...well, except me. He has asked me numerous times since he transferred but he only ended up getting harassed and turned down in front of the whole student body. I was about to yell at him to go to hell when an idea popped into my mind. This is going to be the most stupid thing I'd ever do in my entire life. Let's just hope that I would not regret this sooner or later.

"Fine. Pick me up at seven. Sharp. One minute late and you won't be able to see daylight again", I said, staring straight at him in the eye. Kyle looked at me as though I was nuts while Percy smirked in triumph.

"You've got yourself a deal Phoenix", he replied as his eyes roamed appreciatively from my head towards my feet. I had to fight the urge to gag at his expensive shirt. He gave me his famous wink before returning back to his seat to act like almost nothing happened.

After a few seconds or so, Miss Heller entered the classroom. I sighed, hoping that my plan would work tomorrow at prom.

I'm dethroning the king-wannabe…and this means Percy Jackson is going down.


	5. 5 Prom Fright Night part 1

**[5]**

**Prom Fright Night (part 1)**

"I still can't believe you said 'yes' to Jackson", Sam said as he was applying my eye shadow. Sam Riley was one of my closest friends aside from Kyle. He graduated from a famous university in Paris at a very young age and now works as a professional makeup artist for Shu Umeura and MAC. Stating the obvious, Sam is gay, but I just love him for who he is. He can work wonders with his makeup kit and skills that he could turn a Fiona-ogre into a Fiona-princess.

"Me neither", I replied, sighing. Sam picked up a baby pink lipstick and applied it on my lips.

"Do you even like him, Phoenix?", he asked.

"Hell, no!"

"Then why did you agree to go to the prom with him, then?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I have a plan, Sam. I wanted to teach that Seaweed that he cannot walk around the school like he owns it. And that plan happens tonight", I grinned devilishly. Gosh, I feel so evil right now.

"Stop talking, Phoenix! You're smearing your lip gloss!'" he snapped as he reapplied a light coat.

"Is it my fault if you keep asking me questions?" I hissed while rolling my eyes, careful not to ruin the gloss on my lips again.

"Oh just keep your mouth shut if you want to become the most beautiful girl tonight!" he snarled while combing my hair with a brush.

"I hate you, Sam", I jokingly muttered in a low voice.

"I'm doing your makeup young lady, and if you don't want to be ugly, be NICE", Sam scolded as he worked through my tangled curls effortlessly like though it was the easiest thing to do in the world…which for me, is not. "And I hate this beautiful curly hair of yours! I just wish they were mine!" he added as I stifled my laughter.

I had trouble with my curly hair since I was a kid. It is ebony-black, and yes – pretty much shiny, and most of my friends say that lots of girls would kill just to have hair as naturally-curly as mine. I don't really understand them because my hair has been giving me a serious pain in the ass ever since the day I was born. It's takes a lot of time to style, and it was really difficult to comb especially with a brush because of the curls. Anyway, as I was saying, I was so shocked at Sam about how he manages to comb my hair without effort. It was like Sam has special powers on transforming the ordinary into extraordinary. No wonder he's got millions of clients all over the world: celebrities, queens, models, fashion companies, first ladies, princesses…you got the picture. And I really felt lucky to have him as one of my closest friends. My back was turned into the mirror so that I could not see what he was doing to my hair. But I could feel him making plaits, braids, and twists, and spraying them with some hair product every once in a while.

My heart pounded anxiously as the clock ticked by. After thirty minutes or so, when Sam was already finished with my hair and makeup and I managed to squeeze through my deadly-tight prom dress, sprayed on with some _Victoria's Secret_ perfume, put on my jewelry, and slipped on my sole-breaking killer heels, he dragged me into the far corner of my boudoir where the huge fully-body size mirror stood. When I saw my reflection, I almost did not recognize myself.

The mirror showed a girl whose skin is just as flawless and perfect as porcelain. Her lashes were thick and curly which could flirtatiously attract many boys in a second. Her smoky eye-shadow matched with her violet eyes which emphasizes their color. She was wearing a snow-white, sparkly, elegant ball gown with Swarovski crystals encrusted around the details. Her skin gleamed like polished pearls under the bright light, and her lips are perfectly full, pouty, and seductive. Her ebony-black hair hangs below her waist into perfect curls, which were complemented with a small, diamond-studded, exotic, Persian-princess crown on her forehead. The girl looked back at me with an astonished look, with her wide eyes brightly staring and mouth hanging half-open.

"Oh my gosh", I breathed.

"I'll take that as a thank you", Sam said grinning. "But still, you owe me a two movie tickets, a Lady Gaga concert with VIP pass, and five days of free cappuccino and latte at Starbucks", he added.

"In your dreams", I smacked him lightly on the arm while rolling my eyes. Suddenly, I heard a loud blowing of horn and a sound of car pulling in front of our house. Sam immediately gasped and ran towards the window to see who is it. And just as my suspicions, Sam suddenly screamed,

"PERCY JACKSON!"

Sam and I secretly opened my bedroom door while I tried to sneak and tiptoe in heels and my puffy ball gown to overhear the conversation between Percy and my Uncle Ben. We peered through the railings and I could see my uncle looking at Percy like he was a piece of steak or something. Aunt Clara, on the other hand, looked like a snake ready to spit some venom and strike. I've never seen my uncle and aunt behave like this before. Maybe they're just being protective of me since they knew that Percy is the campus-renowned "Asshole-Jerk".

I have been living with Uncle Ben and Aunt Clara since my parents died in a car accident, and I was like…err…a few months old when it happened. Fortunately, for me, both of them are very kind enough to raise me as their own daughter. They were kind of well-off, but what's weird for me is that they have given me all of the luxury and extravagance any kid could possibly receive from their mega-rich parents. I guess they just treated me as their daughter too much. They never get angry, or even scold me for breaking the china, spilling milk on the kitchen counter, or letting our dogs go into the street. Uncle Ben always looks like he's waiting for something, or someone to come for a long time. And Aunt Clara sometimes often looks suspicious as though she's some secret agent from an International Spy Group or something. Peculiar, right? Or maybe, I was just overseeing things. Anyway, as I was saying, this was totally the first time that I saw both of them glare at someone so much that I thought they were going to eat him.

"What's up with your aunt and uncle?" Sam whispered beside me.

"I dunno. Maybe they don't like Percy at all. This morning, Uncle Ben spilled his boiling coffee all over his shirt when I told him that Percy Jackson is going to be my date tonight. He looked terrified and angry at the same time", I muttered under my breath. Percy and Uncle Ben are still talking in low voices while Aunt Clara was sitting stiffly like a frozen doll in the foyer. Suddenly, Uncle Ben looked up at our direction. Sam and I hurriedly scampered back to my bedroom in panic. Damn these heels.

"Phoenix, honey! Your date is already here!" Aunt Clara's sweet voice echoed through the house. But there was something different with the 'sweetness' of her voice. It sounded more like deadly poison mixed with sweetness. Okay, I think I'm really paranoid right now. Everything was weird tonight…or maybe I was just being nervous because of the prom. Whatever.

Sam pushed me from my bedroom door and I slowly started walking towards the stairs. My feet are so numb that I couldn't feel them through my heels. Every breath hurts as I descended through the grand staircase of our house. Gosh, I feel like an idiot right now. First, I saw Uncle Ben and Aunt Clara. I smiled at them, and they seem to relax a bit. My gaze shifted towards my nightmare, and suddenly, my eyes met with his.

Percy Jackson. He was wearing a black tuxedo perfectly matched with a black tie and a red rose brooch pinned on his right chest. As much as I hate to admit this, seaweed-brain is undeniably smoking hot right now. His hair was styled in a messy and sexy way, and his sea-green eyes were shining brightly as he smirked at me. I bit my tongue as I tried as hard as I could not to attack and beat him to death. Damn him and his hotness!

I walked towards Percy and he did something which almost made me kick him in the balls. He suddenly grabbed my hand and kissed it. Eww…germs and cooties from the king-wannabe! I tried so hard not to gag on his precious tux. But Uncle Ben's reaction was far worse. His eyes turned darker and he growled dangerously at Jackson. Okay, that is so not normal.

"Uhm, we'd better get going. It's already seven-thirty", I spoke in a small voice. I've never been so scared of Uncle Ben before, and this is definitely not _him_.

"Be careful, Phoenix. And don't forget your curfew.", he replied in a deep, almost-monstrous voice. "You, young man, are going to return my niece at 1am sharp. One second late will cost you your life", my uncle said to Percy threateningly. Gosh, protective, much? It's not like Percy's going to kill me…is he?

"I will not forget sir", Percy replied coolly and he assisted me towards his car.

I hope my "dethroning Percy,' the toe-rag' Jackson King-wannabe" works tonight. Or maybe something far more worse is going to happen.


	6. 5 Prom Fright Night part 2

**[5]**

**Prom Fright Night (part 2)**

**Kyle's POV**

As much as I hate to admit it, I was really mad at Phoenix for agreeing to have Jackson as her prom date. I mean, sure…we have been best friends for as long as I can remember but she also hated Jackson for as long as I can remember! What the f***? Is she out of her freaking mind? It's not like I'm jealous or anything, but Perseus Jackson is a complete and dangerous threat to her life. All my life, I have been taking care of her – p**r**otecting her from anything that could harm her, especially from that asshole of a _Seaweed_! I'd rather go into the depths of Tartarus than see Jackson take her out a f*cking date! (Excuse my French, ladies). I have to do something before Jackson could even try something bad…or evil.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly as I pulled over in front of the Mitchell Manor. I got out of the car, and the front door automatically opened as I walked up the porch steps of the house. Ben and Clara Mitchell were sitting stiffly of their living room, looking as if they're waiting for something.

"You're five minutes late", Ben Mitchell said sharply.

"I was making sure that Jackson and his stupid friends wouldn't be suspicious about us", I immediately replied as I stared at him directly in the eyes.

"Phoenix left a moment ago, and I can't believe she's with that Perseus Jackson!" Ben roared inhumanly while slamming his fist on the nearest table in the process. The table snapped into two, as if it wasn't any more delicate than a biscuit.

"That Annabeth Chase is the brainy one. Do you think they can outsmart us?" Clara asked nervously.

"No, they didn't know anything about us and I'll make sure they wouldn't do anything that could hurt Phoenix", I said.

"Oh, you'd better make sure, young man", Ben sneered.

"What do you mean?"

"Sam Riley is here. And he's got a message from Hades", Clara spoke for him. Sam suddenly entered the room, his eyes glowed in amber color, and his face looked pale but dangerous. Even though he is gay, he's pretty much the kind of person you do not want to piss off.

"Hades wants his daughter three days before her eighteenth birthday. You already know how Hades' protection works. Once she turns eighteen, the protection will be broken. The gods will find her easily within a snap and I bet Zeus could simply send a lightning bolt wherever she was to kill her. All the gods are furious and are willing to destroy her. Hades wants maximum protection from this day on!", Sam Riley exclaimed.

I knew it. Jackson and his friends were on a mission to kill Phoenix. That's what demigods are for. They are used as soldiers to do all the gods' dirty work.

"Keep an eye on her, Kyle. You and Sam are the only ones we can trust", Ben said firmly.

"We'll protect her with our own lives", Sam replied. _I will give my everything to protect her_,_ even my soul,_ my mind said. Sam stared at me and giggled as if he heard my own thoughts. He is a very gifted demigod – well I guess he heard it alright. I grabbed my keys from my pocket and pulled Sam towards the door.

"Come on, fancy boy, we've got a prom to crash."

**Percy's POV**

"So…do you want to dance?"

"No."

"Drinks?"

"I'm not thirsty."

"Make out?"

"Go to hell, you perv!"

"Fine. You can tell me any time when you're ready", I said smirking at her. Phoenix rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. Suddenly, she stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?" I snapped up.

"Bathroom. Wanna come?" she said. I know that she was just being sarcastic, but the way she said it just turned me on. I immediately stood up and followed her.

"I was being sarcastic, you perv! Go screw yourself!" she snarled.

I laughed at her furious reaction. Seriously, her sassiness is both sexy and amusing. She turned while lifting her gown, her fragrant hair slapping my face in the process, and started marching towards the bathroom, leaving me laughing even more.

Oh man, this girl is so unpredictable. Yesterday, she agreed to go out on a date with me, and now she's acting like I'm some sort of a Minotaur who's gonna kill her! I don't know what made her hate me so much, but the way she looked at me feels like I have a contagious disease or something.

It's not like I have a choice or anything, but to become 'hot and popular' is the only way to find Hades' daughter. The reason why I dated and flirted with every female in our batch is because of this mission.

I have to find her. The only clue we have is that she is a seventeen-year-old girl, and she goes to this school. The gods can't find her because of Hades' protection, so my father (who is Poseidon, by the way), gave me this quest two years ago to search for this girl. Annabeth and Grover agreed to accompany me, and we have been all over United States for over a year. It was not until last year that we discovered Johnston Academy, where a satyr, who is secretly enrolled in the school, overheard a conversation about Hades' daughter.

And now here we are, acting like a bunch of stupid, rich, air-headed, popular kids and I'm sick of it. I wanted to puke all over my football uniform. Ugh, I can't wait for this to be over and be back in Camp Half-Blood. Man, I miss kicking some demigod butt. Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm.

"Don't sneak up on me, Annabeth. My reflexes could've punched or kicked you in front of all of these people", I muttered cautiously.

"Any weird behavior from the girl?" Annabeth hissed without looking at me, ignoring my last comment. Her eyes were in another direction to make it look like we are not talking. She was wearing a perfectly-fitting, blood-red, halter dress. It showed a lot of skin on her back, and it has a long slit revealing her leg. Her blonde hair was up in a messy, but elegant bun. Honestly, she looked very pretty.

_But still, Phoenix was way more beautiful and breath-taking_, a voice inside my mind spoke.

What the hell is wrong with me? That Phoenix girl wasn't my type at all. She's hot alright, but she's hot-blooded as well. I don't want a girlfriend nagging at me 24/7…I mean, come on – give me a break! I decided to shrug off my thoughts and focus on Annabeth's question.

"No", I said. "She keeps on insulting me. Seriously, she is the only one who is more like forced than willing to date me. I'm guessing she's not the one".

"No, _she is the one_. I can feel it", she spoke in a low voice. The music blasted off the school gymn, and all the people are dancing like crazy.

"Anyway, where is she?" she snapped while looking around.

"She went to the bathroom", I replied casually.

"Are you out of your mind? You shouldn't have let her! Come on!" Annabeth said frantically, pulling my arm hard as we squeezed through the swarm of dancing people.

Several butts hit my back, and some heels stomped on my feet. I gritted my teeth as we walked through the crowd. I'm never going to a prom again. Never. Ever.

**Phoenix's POV**

I stormed inside the bathroom and growled angrily at the mirror.

"ARRRGGH!" that Jackson boy is such a pervert! I could've refused when he asked me out to be his prom date. His presence makes my blood boil like hell. I don't know what is it with him, but I could feel like we are destined to be archenemies – I mean, you wouldn't go angry at random people without any reason, right?

I took deep breaths and started smoothing my gown. My plan on dethroning Percy Jackson must happen tonight. He'll get what he deserved for being such bastard.

"I hate you, Percy Jackson! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" I furiously yelled at the mirror.

"We've got a lot more in common than I thought", a deep male voice spoke. I froze in horror.

It was only when I realized that I wasn't completely alone in the bathroom …there is a male psycho stalker or rapist, or serial killer with me.

The stall behind me suddenly opened, and there stepped out a teenage boy in a complete black outfit. He has dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, at least six inches taller than me, and he's got a pale, faint scar across his face.

"Hello, Phoenix Mitchell. My name is Luke Castellan", he said.


	7. 6 The ScarFaced Demigod

**[6]**

**The Scar-Faced Demigod**

I took a few steps backwards, almost tripping over my back as I tried to keep distance from the stranger. This is the moment where I really hate wearing high heels – well, at least I could use them to throw at some bad guy's face. But now, I don't think I can.

"S–Sorry dude, but I'm not interested", I spoke calmly and casually, though I knew he could strongly sense my fear. Luke Castellan plainly smirked at me, and he took a few steps towards my direction. His pale, almost-white scar that ran diagonally along his right cheek reflected faintly under the light. He was holding a blade – no, a two-colored sword in his right hand. His eyes gleaming dangerously as if he was lusting for blood. _My blood_.

I immediately ran towards the door, but when I turned the knob repeatedly, it was stuck. _Shit_.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!" I roared my tonsils out as I madly pounded my fists on the door, hoping get somebody's attention from the outside.

"Nobody's going to hear you, Phoenix. They're all busy at the moment", he said coolly. Then, he started to walk towards me. One. Two. Three steps.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER OR I SWEAR I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BALLS!" I snarled at him. He stared at me in shock. I bet it was the least likely he expected for me to say. And you know what he did?

He roared in laughter. Hysterically. Gosh, I felt like an idiot. Heat fumed from my ears as I tried to control the anger that was building inside me like a storm. I hate people like him. Bastards.

Just like Percy Jackson. And within a snap, I walked towards Luke, and actually kneed his groin. He was obviously laughing so hard that he didn't even notice me approach him. Much to my satisfaction, he stumbled towards the ground while holding his "damaged" area and howled in pain.

I took the opportunity to run towards the farthest stall and lock myself in there. I know it was pretty much a stupid idea, but it was also the wisest thing to do. Fortunately, I was holding my purse all along, so I scrambled through my things to find my phone. I immediately dialed the only number that was ringing deafeningly through my head. There was one ring, and thankfully he answered.

"Phoenix! Where the heck are you?" he spoke. I could feel that his voice was filled with anger, worry, and frustration.

"KYLE! PLEASE HELP ME!" hot tears flowed down from my eyes as I cried for my best friend. But within a blink of an eye, the stall broke as if it was just as breakable as China glass. Splinters of wood were flying everywhere and I could do nothing except wrap my arms around my head as I tried to duck the shards of wood and Luke's arm at the same time. The stall was not fully destroyed, but half of it was broken, and Luke's arm was grabbing me from the other side. Kyle's voice was yelling frantically over my phone as I gripped it tightly in my hand.

_Kyle, please hurry!_ my mind repeated over and over again. Suddenly, I felt something warm and liquid flowing down from my waist. My hand automatically clutched my abdomen, but when I looked down, my waist is covered in fresh, warm, gushing, blood. _Bloody hell_. A splinter of wood stabbed my waist in the process. I could feel pain burning slowly like a small, ignited fire, growing larger and larger. It was like tongues of burning flames licking at the left side of my waist, and it really hurt agonizingly.

I backed towards the corner of the stall in order to get away from Luke's grabbing attempts.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I yelled at him as tears came down again.

"I want nothing from you, girl, it's the gods who want you!" he shouted back coldly. And with that, lightning and thunder roared outside as if confirming Luke that what he is saying is true. He was trying to rip off the remains of stall door that he just broke with his sword moments ago.

If the door goes down…then it's over. Luke is gonna kidnap me or kill me or rape me or whatever he wants to do with me.

"What do you mean 'gods'?" my voice was raised a few decibels. _Distract him, Phoenix! Distract him!, _my mind said.

"Don't play dumb with me, Phoenix! I know you knew about the gods!" he snarled angrily.

"I don't know what you are talking about, you psycho of a bastard! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"HOW PATHETIC…I GUESS YOUR UNCLE BEN DIDN'T TELL YOU ANYTHING NOW, DID HE? EVEN KYLE WAS A BIG LIAR TO YOU! YOU'VE BEEN LIVING A LIE, PHOENIX!" the way Luke said it honestly hurt.

_What the hell?_

_Uncle Ben?_

_Kyle?_

This guy must have been a stalker all along –no, he is a psycho stalker!

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S LYING! GO TO HELL!" I spat back.

But suddenly, the door of the stall completely collapsed, and there fully revealed Luke Castellan smirking devilishly. He started to walk towards me and pointed his sword at my neck.

"Now you are coming with me or I wouldn't hesitate killing you with my sword", he spoke threateningly. But anger wins over my fear now.

"Kill me then, you bastard! I'd rather die than go elsewhere with an asshole like you!" I spat at his face. Luke growled at me dangerously and slapped my face hard with the back of his hand. I stumbled towards the mess of broken wood on the tiled floor. The splinters pierced through my arms and hands as I tried to get up again.

"You filthy girl of the dead! No wonder all the gods want to destroy you!" Luke yelled at my face as he grabbed the back of my neck.

"You're crazy", I choked out. He laughed menacingly.

"You think I'm crazy? Fine. I won't be forcing you to believe me. But still you will be coming with me whether you like it or not", he said. I kicked his groin but he was faster than me. He suddenly grabbed a dagger from his belt as he yanked my back against his chest. His arm was wrapped tightly around my neck that I could hardly breathe. He took hold of my left palm, and forced it open.

"This will teach you a lesson", Luke growled and he plunged his dagger along my palm.

I let out a painful scream.

**Percy's POV**

As Annabeth and I were squeezing through the crowd, the booming music suddenly stopped. All the people in the dance floor groaned in disappointment. Mr. Richardson, the school Headmaster walked up the stage and tapped on the microphone.

"Okay people, settle down…settle down! Tonight we're announcing the Prom King and Prom Queen!" he said, clapping his hands excitedly. Everyone followed and applauded. Annabeth suddenly nudged me by the elbow, her eyes reminding me of what we are supposed to do. I continued walking through the crowd, squeezing through people like it was a concert.

"And now…the Prom King for this year is…PERCY JACKSON!"

The spotlight suddenly turned towards me, and all the people around us cheered. I smiled stiffly, and waved at them, pretending to be cool and fine with the situation. _Shit! I have to find Phoenix! Why does this have to happen?_, my mind spoke.

"We are all requesting Mr. Jackson to please come on stage for his crown", Mr. Richardson's voice echoed through the microphone. I gritted my teeth as I just stood in the middle of the dance floor, all pairs of eyes are on me.

"Go, Percy. I'll find Phoenix", Annabeth whispered and disappeared into the crowd. I slowly and reluctantly walked towards the stage. All I could think of is Phoenix. Where the hell could she be? I feel like there is something weird happening. There is power around this school. Power that is both familiar and unfamiliar to me.

And we are right to guess that Hades' daughter was here. I could feel a demigod's presence. _A dangerous and powerful one_. The blinding light fell on me as Mr. Richardson put the crown over my head. I don't want this crown anyway. I want to rip it off my head and stomp on it a thousand times. I faked a smile and waved again towards the crowd as they cheered like it was some sort of a concert.

"And now our Prom Queen is…Phoenix Mitchell!" Mr. Richardson announced. The crowd applauded wildly. Thank the gods Phoenix was called. All I have to do is to wait here on this stage, drag her afterwards and tie her into the nearest chair. I know there is something about her. She is not like any other mortal: the way she talks, the way she moves, the way she behaves, and the way her eyes look at you. But I still can't tell if she was Hades' daughter. She never showed any powers or weirdness during the whole year that we stayed inside the school.

But her reflexes are sharp, just like a demigod's. I once snuck up on her in an attempt to ask her out and I only ended up getting kicked in the gut. The biggest football player in school once threw the football in her direction but she was fast enough to notice it and dodge it away. We have been looking for a seventeen-year-old girl for two years now, and I have been dating every single one in this school all year long…well, except for Phoenix. _Except Phoenix_. She is our lead target now, and we cannot fail this mission. My father counts on me, and so are Zeus and the other Olympians.

I was snapped back into reality when I realized that there is no Phoenix Mitchell walking through the crowd or going up here the stage. All the people were looking around in an attempt to find where she is.

"Again, we are calling Phoenix Mitchell, this year's Prom Queen!" Mr. Richardson's voice boomed louder. Grover was looking at me in the middle of the crowd, his face in a worried expression. I began worrying, too. Phoenix has been gone for almost thirty minutes now. I ran off the stage, ripping the stupid crown off my head and squeezed through the crowd. Grover joined me and he started pushing people aside to help us get through the people faster. Phoenix told me she was going to the ladies bathroom, but what's taking her so long? Unless if she was having a diarrhea or something. I was finally able to get out of the crowd when Annabeth came running down from the corner. In heels.

"Percy! Percy!" her eyes were wide in horror.

"Did you find Phoenix? Where is she?" I asked almost desperately.

"The bathroom. It's locked. I could hear wood breaking, Phoenix is crying, and Luke's voice!" she spoke frantically as if it was the end of the world. Indeed, it is.

Shit! Luke used to be nice, he used to be my friend. But he's changed. If he lays a finger on Phoenix I swear I'm gonna rip his head off and send him into the depths of Tartarus.

But just as I was about to run, I heard Phoenix's blood-curling scream.

**Kyle's POV**

I drove Sam's _Porsche_ like lightning.

"Geez…slow down, Kyle!" Sam growled, his color draining from his face. I could not slow down. I am on a mission of keep watch of Phoenix. If Percy Jackson tries to do something, we might be too late. Just then, my phone started to ring. When I looked at the screen, it showed, 'Phoenix calling…'. My heart skipped a few beats. _Please don't tell me you're in danger_…my mind kept repeating over and over again. I did not hesistate to press the answer button, but just as what I feared, Phoenix's voice was shaking and full of fear. I could feel her crying as she called out my name.

"Kyle! Please help me!" she cried.

"Phoenix! Where the heck are you?" I said angrily. My chest felt like it was going to explode. I can't stand her to be in danger. If something happens to her, I'll blame myself. Within a blink of an eye, I heard something like a wood being broken into pieces. Panic started drowning myself in.

"Phoenix! Phoenix! Answer me!" I snarled repeatedly over the phone. I kept on calling her name, but she wasn't answering. Suddenly, she yelled, "What do you want from me?" and a familiar male voice answered, "I want nothing from you, girl! It's the gods who want you!"

Somebody was with her. Or more like somebody is hurting her. I gritted my teeth and gripped on the phone tighter that it already hurt. But it doesn't matter. Suddenly, the line was off. _Shit_. I threw the stupid phone in anger.

Sam was paler than ever. He looked like a ghost frozen in place.

"Phoenix wasn't in danger, was she?" he shakily asked, sweat pricking from the side of his face.

"I'm afraid she is", I growled with rage.

It broke my heart to hear her voice like this. Adrenaline kicked in, and it didn't take a second for me to accelerate the car. I need to get to her. I need to save her.

**Percy's POV**

I kicked the door open only to find a destroyed stall and splinters of wood everywhere. I gritted my teeth as Annabeth, Grover, and I entered the bathroom. Deep inside my chest, I was hoping to find Phoenix somewhere hiding in one of the stalls, but she was nowhere to be found. Moments later, I heard another horrified scream. The three of us ran like lightning towards outside the building.

The moon was shining full and bright, and the cold wind grew stronger. I can't believe Luke got to her before us! The Olympians would be very disappointed. My father gave us this quest, and we are now on the edge of failing. We continued running until we reached the school parking lot, and there I saw him:

Luke Castellan. My archenemy. Screw him. His left arm was around Phoenix's neck while the other one was holding a sword and pointing it at her neck, and he was dragging her mercilessly towards a black car.

"LUKE!" I shouted. Luke stopped and smiled like he was expecting to see me. Phoenix's eyes grew wide.

"You knew this guy? Are you with him?" she demanded.

"Of course, we're not, Phoenix. We're enemies", Luke said coolly.

"Let her go, Luke", I growled dangerously. I don't know what's with me, but there's this anger surging through my system. It's like I can't bear her getting hurt. My heart is being ripped out of my chest as I saw the blood covering her waist. Goosebumps ran along my spine, and my knees started to shake. _She's hurt…seriously hurt_. Luke tightened his grip around her neck. We were fifteen feet away from them. Luke merely smiled menacingly at us.

"I got her Percy. Get her if you can", he said.

I glared at him venomously as I fought the urge to jump right at him.

"What do you want with her, Luke? She is innocent!" Annabeth exclaimed.

"Oh don't play dumb with me, Annabeth! You know she's the daughter of Hades!" he replied.

"So what if she is? You're not gonna dare deliver her to Olympus! Once the gods see your ugly face, they won't hesistate killing you!" Grover yelled furiously at him.

"You know you're uglier than me, goat. Anyway, I'm going to give her to the gods for a reward. Once they see that I win this quest, I would gain their trust again. They could freely destroy her, while I could freely kick your ass", he spoke in a deep, dangerous tone.

"Destroy her?" Annabeth asked.

"What, you don't know of your quest, Annabeth? I thought you were smart! They're going to destroy her because she is a threat to our realm! Imagine a demigod ruling alongside Hades…princess of the Underworld…Lady of Death…" he said mockingly. "Besides…" he added.

"…there is a prophecy Apollo had made seventeen years ago, and I don't really care about what it is, but in short, she's a danger to the Olympians", Luke said.

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait a minute! Why is everyone bragging about this crap? Don't tell me you three believe this crazy, psycho guy about his Greek stories!" Phoenix yelled in panic. She was holding Luke's arm which is wrapped tightly around her neck.

Neither of the three spoke. Phoenix's jaw dropped.

"So all of you four are crazy people who believes that Greek myths exist and you come around victimizing people as if it's some kind of a game!" Phoenix accused.

"The Olympians are real, Phoenix. It's time you know the truth", I told her seriously, holding her gaze like it was on fire. Her bright, violet eyes stared disbelievingly into mine as I tried to make her understand that what she heard is all true.

"All three of us are demigods, me, Annabeth, and Luke", I continued. Luke's arm gripped around her neck tighter. His sword pointed alternately from her neck towards us.

"What does it have to do with me?" she asked innocently.

I was about to answer her when Luke suddenly grabbed her and opened the car door.

"There's no point taking her, Luke. You're only one, and there's three of us", I warned him as I walked closer. Eight feet away. I noticed a water tank fifty feet away from us.

"I'm not afraid of any of you, fools! If you take one more step, I will not hesitate to kill her!" he snarled furiously. Stretching my hand out, I summoned the water from the tank. It followed obediently, as the tugging feeling of my gut became stronger. A large volume of water, about twenty feet high rose behind us, ready to strike at my command.

"Oooooo…that scares me. She'll drown with me, Percy. There's no point showing off your fancy water powers to us", he said mockingly. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Screw him. I calmed myself down, and released the water. It dropped heavily into the ground, spraying us all over, including Phoenix and Luke. He pushed her towards the car and locked the door. I gritted my teeth as my blood boiled in anger. I immediately clicked riptide and it clashed hard with Luke's backbiter that the impact sparks.

Damn his reflexes.

**Phoenix's POV**

Luke pushed me inside the car and locked me in it. I struggled with the knob, and kicked the door several times but it won't open. Luckily, the car window opened as I rolled it.

"You think you can kill me, Percy?" Luke said in an evil grin. The two fought with their swords skillfully than I have ever seen before. Their blades clashed and sparked right here and there. I saw Percy kicked Luke in the gut, while Luke punched him in revenge. Suddenly, I saw a familiar silver Porsche car pulling over behind Luke. To my heart's relief, Kyle and Sam stepped out, but to my horror, they ran towards the fighting scene. Luke and Percy stopped fighting as their attention turned towards Kyle and Sam.

"Kyle, it's been such a long time since I saw you", Luke gave him a dangerous grin. Kyle glared at Luke as he spoke,

"And it's been a long time since I tried to kill you", Kyle growled angrily.

"Where is Phoenix?" Sam asked.

"Oh, you mean the girl with black hair, violet eyes? She's just in the bathroom a while ago…with me", he said menacingly.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Kyle snarled threateningly at his face.

"Relax, my old friend. Jealous much?" he said coolly.

"You two knew each other?" Percy intervened.

"We used to be old…_friends"_, Kyle said as if he was disgusted saying it. "WHERE IS PHOENIX?" he growled angrily.

"She's in the car", Luke waved towards my direction. "Before you get to her, first you have to kill me", he said like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Gladly", Kyle spoke and within a blink on an eye, there is a spark. A white sword lighted and formed in his hand and it clashed with Luke's two-colored one. They were fighting skillfully, almost as impressive as Luke's fight with Percy. Now I'm totally confused. What is really going on? I kicked the car window with my heel, and luckily it shattered into pieces. I squeezed through the hole and got out, ignoring the continued gushing of my blood from my waist. I stood up and walked in agonizing steps towards them. I am weak. Life was draining out of me. Blood continued flowing down my waist down to my huge gown.

Then Kyle saw me. His eyes glowed in happiness because I was alive. But he suddenly frowned because he saw my blood. Seeing me lowered his guard down that he didn't notice Luke's sword coming towards him. It was just all of a sudden, and Luke's blade stabbed him straight into his abdomen.

My eyes grew wide in horror. I could feel the blood draining from my face as Kyle dropped into the ground, his body covered in blood. _No, No, Kyle! He can't be dead!_ _He can't_ Annabeth, Percy, and Grover were in shock as well. But Luke just smiled at him evilly. He even managed to kick Kyle as he took his last breaths.

Suddenly, there was a tugging sensation in my abdomen. Heat and power flowed though my veins and anger formed inside me like a storm. _My best friend is dead. My other half is dead. Luke is going to pay, I'm gonna kill him!_ All I could feel is rage and anger exploding out of my chest. My nails dug deeply into my palms as I clenched my fists tightly. White hot tears flowed down from my eyes as I screamed the pain that I was feeling. The heat inside me grew hotter than ever, and in all of a sudden, a large ball of fire exploded out of my both hands. Luke, Sam, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover turned their eyes to me, their faces are in pure shock.

But me…all I could feel is anger, pure anger. Somebody must pay.


	8. 7 The Offspring of Death and Fire

**[7]**

**The Offspring of Death and Fire**

**Percy's POV**

My heart skipped a few beats as I saw fire exploding from Phoenix's hands. Her eyes are filled with tears, and a larger ball of fire emitted, glowing dangerously.

Hades' daughter. Goddess of fire.

Her eyes turned from violet, into a deep shade of red. She was crying, but at the same time, she was furiously angry. Her rage scares me. It seems like I was being affected by it. The fire in her hands grew larger and larger. Suddenly, the fire covered her entire body. Then the fire circled around her, higher, and higher, creating a huge fire tornado.

With her scream, her powers exploded furiously like a nuclear bomb. I was lucky to be quick enough to summon water to protect us inside like a globe. The earth shook, and the fire was so strong it almost penetrated through my protection. The water covering us started to boil, and I could feel that we have already having minor burns. The angry fire was still there, scattering throughout, burning everything it touches. _Shit! The people at the prom. Phoenix going to set the school on fire!_

Minutes later, the fire died down. I lowered the water slowly around us.

"She really is, Hades' daughter", Grover shakily stated.

"And she is potentially dangerous", Annabeth's voice was barely in a whisper. Apparently, we are all in shock. The gay guy, who was with Kyle, stood up, his eyes filled with tears.

"Kyle...", he sobbed quietly. The fire tornado was still there where Phoenix stood, but it seemed to calm a little down as moments pass by. I looked around in panic, searching for Kyle's body, which I failed to protect with water. But fortunately, his body lay on its original place, untouched and unharmed by the Phoenix's fire that exploded minutes ago. I turned to look for Luke, but he was nowhere to be found. Annabeth gripped my arm.

"Percy…" she gasped and pointed at something. To my horror, she pointed me at the ground beside Kyle's body, where Luke was supposed to be standing before Phoenix released her powers. It was black like someone has been burned in it, and Luke's sword was lying on Luke's place. The sword burned so hot that some of its parts have melted. No one could have survived that explosion. Not even a demigod.

"Is Luke dead?" Annabeth's voice was shaking as we walked nearer towards the blackened place. I could smell burned flesh and blood. Luke's body was so consumed by the fire in rage that nothing was left of him. Except for his sword. My eyes shifted towards the dying tornado, now getting shorter, and shorter, until it reached down to human height.

The fire calmed and died down slowly into Phoenix's skin. Phoenix was visible now. Her red eyes finally returned to purple. The last remnants of fire have been absorbed into her body and she was panting heavily as if she just came from a marathon. Tears are still streaming down her cheeks as she looked at Kyle's pale body. She walked towards him, but just as she was about two feet away, she collapsed into unconsciousness.


	9. 8 Bestfriend's Lament

**[8]**

**Bestfriend's Lament**

**Phoenix's POV**

_I saw Kyle. He was a few feet away from me. His beautiful lightning-gray eyes welled with tears as they penetrated up to my very soul. He was trying to tell me something. I don't really know what it is, but I am a hundred and one percent certain that he wants to give me a message. _

_And then there's fire. Flames suddenly engulfed him like a tidal wave. I screamed and ran towards his outstretched hand in an attempt to save him. But the more I try to run towards him, the farther and harder it is to reach Kyle. It felt like time is slowing down, and I was running in slow-motion. I could hear Luke's cold and ruthless voice laughing menacingly. Tears flowed down to my cheeks as I reached out desperately towards my best friend. _

"_You'll never win, Phoenix! You are going to die!" Luke's voice echoed and it sent goosebumps at the back of my neck. I watched in horror as the fire started to consume Kyle, it burned him mercilessly and I couldn't do anything. All I could hear is Kyle screaming in pain, and his voice calling my name. _

_Suddenly, Luke appeared in front of me, his evil smirk plastered on his face. The last thing I saw is a two-colored sword, and within a blink of an eye, Luke stabbed it through my abdomen. _

And that's when I woke up screaming in horror and in pain.

_**Seventy-two hours earlier…**_

**Percy's POV**

Phoenix collapsed but I was lucky enough to have demigod-reflexes to be able to catch her. Her beautiful face looked so vulnerable, and it's breaking my heart. She is the daughter of Hades, the one whom I have been searching on a quest for two years, the demigod whom the Olympians have been yearning to destroy since the day she was born, and the girl whom I have to kill when, or at least before she turns eighteen. Just seconds ago, her powers showed us of what she's capable of: invincibility and destruction. No wonder the gods wants her dead.

I brushed small wisps of hair away from her face and carried her towards the car. Sam Riley instantly appeared in front of me and growled. His amber eyes glowed dangerously and his hands started to emit bright, amber flames.

_Son of Apollo_. Just as what I suspected.

"You're not taking her anywhere, Jackson" he spoke threateningly.

"I'm taking her to Camp Half-Blood", I spoke calmly, not breaking eye contact. Phoenix was still in my arms, but her face was now paler.

"Come on you guys! We don't have time to fight over this! Look at her! She's losing at lot of blood!" Annabeth came between us and pointed desperately at Phoenix's bleeding waist.

"Isn't it an advantage since the Olympians want her dead?" Grover spoke. Sam and I growled at him in unison while Annabeth gave him a death glare.

"Hey don't get me wrong, I don't mean Phoenix any harm! I'm just saying that we have come a long way for this mission and right now, we're doing the exact opposite!" Grover held out his hands as if he were surrendering.

"Grover has a point, Percy. How do you think your father will react if he discovers you disobeyed this mission?" Annabeth said. The amber flames in Sam's both hands glowed brighter.

"You lay a finger on her, I swear I'm gonna rip your soul apart and send it into the depths of Tartarus", Sam spoke darkly and dangerously.

"Relax fancy boy, I'm not doing anything to her", I snapped.

"What?" the three of them replied in unison. I have made my decision. Screw disobeying this mission. But hey, I'm not a hero. I always fail…for a cause…right?

"Yep, you heard me", I said as the sirens began echoing inside the school grounds. Phoenix's powers had spread throughout the entire school. It's a lucky thing that the flames are now dying down, but they're still everywhere. I hope no one is harmed, or worse…dead.

"We're taking her to Camp Half-Blood", I spoke with authority, and right now, no one seems to have the strength to question me, not even Sam.

**Present time**

**Phoenix's POV**

I was screaming when I woke up. I'm not really sure if it's because of the pain in my abdomen, or the nightmare that totally freaked me out, but I think it was both. Sam, who has snoring loudly on an armchair beside my bed bolted as though he just got electrocuted.

"Where's the fire? Where's the fire?" he looked around frantically. My heart slowed down a bit after realizing that it was all just a dream. He sat at the edge of my bed and brushed a few strands of my hair.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with concern.

"Damn, my head hurts like hell" I muttered as I clutched my head. It felt like it got bull-dozed by a dozen trucks and got shoved inside the toaster like grilled-cheese.

"I can't believe I had this crazy dream", I said as I started massaging my forehead. "It was prom, and Jackson was my prom date, and I got kidnapped by this crazy guy Luke, and he killed Kyle, and I started erupting flames everywhere". Sam stared at me like he was about to laugh.

"Insane, right?" I chuckled while continuing on the story. "And then, everyone started telling me that I'm a Greek myth child or something, and then the scene changed…" my voice faded into a whisper as I tried to recall my latest dream.

"There were flames everywhere, and it burned Kyle, and I couldn't do anything. Then Luke was laughing at me, and he took out his sword, and stabbed – "

I suddenly stopped and looked around.

Wait, this place is _so_ not my bedroom. The blue-painted walls were replaced by dusty, cream-colored cloths. It's like I'm in a huge tent, like super _huge_. And there were a dozen more empty white beds that are arranged in rows. There were some people several beds from me. A few of them were badly wounded, while some look like they have collapsed out of exhaustion or something.

"Where the hell am I?" I asked Sam, my heart was now beating so fast that it hurt. Sam stared at me apologetically.

"You're dream happened for real, Phoenix. You're in Camp Half-Blood", he said. My eyes widened in shock as flashbacks instantly hit my mind like a tsunami.

Oh-my-_shit_. They're not dreams…they're memories. And they actually happened. Kyle is already dead. And I erupt into flames…I'm a freak. Then there's Sam…Grover…Annabeth…Percy.

Percy Jackson. My worst enemy _saved my life_.

"NO, IT COULDN'T BE REAL! KYLE CAN'T BE DEAD!" I yelled as my eyes filled to the brim with tears. "AND I AM NOT A HALF-BLOOD CHILD OR WHATEVER THEY WANT TO CALL IT!" Several people turned their attention towards me. But right now, I don't give a damn.

Suddenly, the tent opened and a man in a wheelchair entered with Annabeth and Grover. I was still crying and breathing shakily as they approached towards our direction.

"Phoenix Mitchell…I am much honored to finally meet you. My name is Chiron", his brown eyes bore into mine as he spoke. "You are in Camp Half-Blood. This is place is built for half-human, half-god children of the Greek Olympians. You are safe here", he continued. I nodded at him in understanding.

"According to Annabeth and Grover", the two gave me a friendly nod, "you and Mr. Kyle Evans are good friends since you were young. I am very sorry for your loss", I cringed when Chiron spoke Kyle's name.

"Kyle is my best friend. He's always been there whenever I need him", my shaky voice was barely above a whisper as my eyes started tearing up again.

"We are giving him a proper funeral today. If you want to see him, please follow us", Chiron said in a sympathetic voice. Annabeth kindly handed me a plastic cup that looks like a mini Starbucks coffee.

"It's nectar, it will help you heal your wound faster", she said kindly.

"Thank you", I replied and started sipping noisily on the drink. The nectar was the most delicious drink I've ever tasted. I could feel it filling warmly into my stomach and it was rejuvenating my energy. Suddenly, the sun's blinding rays hit my face when Chiron opened the curtain of the tent. I started following him outside with my hand covering my eyes but what I saw suddenly left me breathless.

Camp Half-Blood was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There were tall, beautiful trees surrounding the area. The greenest of the grasses covered the ground and it was all neatly trimmed and mowed. Several kids, who are approximately my age or younger, were swords-fighting all over the place. There are also kids practicing archery nearby.

Twelve cabins were lined up in a U-shape manner, and there is an elegant large house that resembled Ancient Greek architecture. There is a strawberry field that can be seen from a distance, as well as a huge hill with something golden hanging on a pine tree. My eyes widened as it landed on a dragon, which is fast sleep beside it.

_It must the guarding that golden thing, whatever it is_, I thought to myself. Chiron led us to a wide open circular space with lots of white Ancient Greek pillars that kind of reminded me of an amphitheatre. There is a big fissure on the marble floor, and there was also a long, white, marble table at the center.

There was someone familiar standing over the table, looking as if he was guarding it, but I couldn't recognize him because his back was turned towards us. When we were just a few feet away, the boy turned and no wonder why he looked so familiar. Percy Jackson looked towards us with sadness in his eyes. I've never seen his eyes filled his remorse, hurt, and _guilt_. He was always so cocky, and he loves shoving his pride in everyone's faces. But today, the Percy Jackson I saw was different.

His face held with no expression, almost blank, as if all of its life had drained from it, but the eyes – the beautiful, sea-green eyes held darkness and sorrow that even I was getting affected by it. I noticed that the table was covered with a thin, white cloth. Percy gently opened the cloth, his now dark-green eyes penetrating into mine.

I tried not to break the contact, but when I saw what's lying on the table made my heart stop beating. I guess it's not a table after all.

_It was a coffin_. White-hot tears filled my eyes as I saw the familiar figure that I have loved more than anyone in the world. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I tried to reach out towards Kyle. He looked so peaceful, yet so _lifeless_. I'd rather have my heart run over inside a shredder than face the fact that my best friend is already dead.

He is gone. And he's never coming back. And I never even got the chance to tell him how I feel…how _I love him_. Suddenly, I couldn't fight it anymore. I almost collapsed but luckily, someone caught me. I cried into somebody's arms, not even bothering who it is. Chiron suddenly approached towards Kyle, and he put a coin on each of his closed eyes. Then he said something that sounded like _Ancient Greek,_ and then he nodded towards us. Grover started first, he walked towards Kyle and paid his respects. Annabeth followed, then Sam, who was also crying and shaking uncontrollably.

Finally, they all looked towards me. I was still in the arms of someone, held tightly in an embrace, and I realized it was Percy who caught and comforted me. He gently let go of me and I walked slowly towards my best friend. My breathing was calmer now, but the tears were still unstoppable from flowing. I gave my best friend a gentle smile, my voice was being muffled into a whisper.

"I love you, Kyle. And I always will", I said with all my heart. Grover suddenly appeared with a flaming torch in his hand, ready to set the coffin into perish.

"WAIT!", I involuntary said with authority, almost shouting at him. "I'll do it", I told him. Grover nodded and handed me the torch, but I shook my head. I guess he fully understood what I was planning to do because he put the torch's fire out and threw it nearby. Chiron stared at us with questioningly with wide eyes.

I gave Chiron a look that says 'don't worry', and averted my gaze towards Kyle for the last time. My best friend…_the only person who has always been there to protect, and take care of me_. But now, there is no turning back. If I have to face the truth, I'll face it without any regret. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. There was a warm and pulling feeling inside my gut and Kyle's coffin suddenly burst into flames.

I let out a huge sigh, my breathing now steady, and my tears now drying up. After a few moments or so, they started leaving one by one. But I don't feel like going anywhere. I wish that time would just freeze so I can stay here forever with Kyle. I just stood there for hours, looking blankly into his coffin which burned into ashes.

Suddenly, a warm hand touched my shoulder and when I looked up, I saw those emerald, sea-green eyes.


End file.
